Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, a Caspian Sea port where a walled medieval Old City, Belle Epoque oil-boom mansions and the glass-and-steel Flame Towers share one crescent-shaped bay. Visitors come for the UNESCO-listed Icheri Sheher, the Heydar Aliyev Center, a seafront boulevard, mud volcanoes and rock art at Gobustan, and a tea-and-plov food culture at very low prices.
Luxury hotels
Five-star and palace properties.
Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers
Fairmont Baku occupies one of the three Flame Towers above the bay, with city and Caspian views from most rooms, a spa, several restaurants and the Highball lounge. It sits uphill from the Old City, so a taxi or the funicular is the usual way down to the Boulevard.
Four Seasons Hotel Baku
Four Seasons Baku stands in a Belle Epoque-style building facing the Seaside Boulevard, a short walk from the Old City and Fountains Square. It has a full spa, an outdoor pool in season and several restaurants.
JW Marriott Absheron Baku
A large five-star on Azadliq Square a few minutes from the Heydar Mosque and the Boulevard, with a spa, indoor pool and several restaurants. A comfortable business and leisure base with good metro and taxi access.
Hilton Baku
Hilton Baku is a tall hotel on Azadliq Avenue with a rooftop 360 Bar, a spa and fitness centre and large rooms; rates are often lower than the seafront luxury hotels. Taxi to the Old City takes 10-15 minutes.
Hyatt Regency Baku
Hyatt Regency Baku is a modern business hotel with a spa, pool and several restaurants. It is farther from the Old City than the seafront hotels, so budget for taxis, but rooms are spacious and rates are among the lowest of the international chains.
Fine dining
Michelin-starred and chef-driven restaurants.
Art Club Restaurant
Refined Azerbaijani dining in a restored 18th-century townhouse combined with an art gallery.
Chinar
Lounge-restaurant in a historic building under plane trees; a polished evening option.
Sumakh
Polished modern take on regional cooking with slow-cooked meats and saffron plov.
Shirvanshah Museum Restaurant
Old-style Azerbaijani and Shirvan dishes in a restored late 19th-century building.
Chayki
Seaside garden restaurant serving modern Azerbaijani dishes with local wine.